Flying-machine.



w. M. PBOTZMAN & A. u. RAY. FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I2. 1917- v 7 Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

. M. PROTZ-MAN & A. n, RAY.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED (JCT-12,1917.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918,

W. M. PROTZMAN & A. D. RAY.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 12. I917. I 1 @6%38l q, Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

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' "wnttsm. r'norziaan, or osnomv, AND ALBERT n. BAY, or CLEVELAND, omo.

FLYING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may camera:

Be it known that WELLS M. PRo'rzMAN and ALBERT D. RAY, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Usborn, in the county of Greene, State ofOhio, and Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio,respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 1lying-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to flying machines or air ships of the so-calledheavier than air type, and it has for its primary object the provisionof rotative means for elevating the machine in a vertical direction,maintaining the equilibrium by gyroscopic action, thereby allowing themachine to hover at any desired point in the air.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary elevatingdevice having adjustable vanes which, when opened are utilized forraising the craft, and when closed form a rotary aeroplane to maintainequi librium and act as a parachute for gliding downward.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine of thistype, with a" rotary elevating device having adjustable vanes, theopening and closing of which, and the rotation of the device are readilycontrolled by the operator.

A still further object of the invention is to provide. an adjustablerotary element that can be "operated independently of, or in conjunctionwith the longitudinal propeller.

A still further object of the invention is tit to provide a constructionthat admits of the osclllation in a longitudinal plane, of the rotarydevice and its housing, so that it can be adjusted to any desired anglerelative to the body of the ship.

With these and other apparent objects in view, the invention consists incertain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement ofelements, hereinafter fully described,.illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and partieularl pointed out in the appended claims, it eingunderstood that various changes of details of the structure may be madewithout departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantagesof the invention.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of the specification,Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved machine, more or lessdiagrammatic and with certain portions broken away. Fig. 2 is a sideele- I Specification of Letters Patent.

body 2.

Patented Apr. 3d, 191..

Application filed October 12, 1917. Serial .No. 196,297.

ration. Fig. 3 is a front end elevation. Fig. 1 is a section on line4:4: of Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a detail of the construction which will beidentified by the description. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary longitudinalsection on an enlarged scale, and Fig. 7 is a top plan view,

on the same scale, of the rotary member, showing a small portion of oneof the vanes broken away.

Similar reference characters are employed the description and theseveral figures of the drawings.

in carrying out the invention, the frame adapt the structure to theembodiment of the improvements.

Planes 1 of well known practical dimensions and construction areattached to, and

supported by the central frame work or The tail of the machine extendsrearwardly as shown and is provided with the ordinary rudders which maybe manipulated in the usual or well known manner.

A screw propeller 3 is arranged in front of the structure, and a motor 4is located in suitable position. In. the embodiment as illustrated, thepropeller 3 is connected with the motor by the propeller shaft 5 andbevel gears (5 and 7, said gears being driven from the motor bysprockets 8 and 9 and chain '10, a suitable clutch 11 being employed formaking and breaking connection of the propeller with the motor whendesired. I

- A transverse shaft 12 is mounted in suitable bearings in side membersof the body, and mounted on this shaft, on the exterior of said body, isa frame work which provides a rockable housing for certain mechanismwhich will presently be described. The frame work just above mentioned,comprises four upright members 13, connecting members 14 and 15 at thetop, like members at the bottom, suitable bearing members 16toaccommodate the shaft 12, and members 17 and 18 which provide bearingsfor a vertical shaft 19.

The shaft 12 is driven by the motor 4, through the medium of thesprocket chain 20, a suit-able clutch 22 being employed for.

.to indicate corresponding parts throughout disconnecting the sprocket21, and thereby throwing the shaft 12 out of operation. The shaft 12carries a bevel gear 23, which is in mesh with a companion gear 24 onthe lower terminal of shaft 19, thereby providing means for driving saidshaft; The shaft 19 is provided with a head member 25, in which thevanes from the hinge to the periphery,

thereby allowing a free escapement of the spent air, and avoiding a moreor less strong, direct downward current. The shaft 19 is hollow and arod.27 is adapted to slide longitudinally in the bore 19*. A disk 28 isprovided on the upper terminal of rod 27,

said disk being provided with cars 28, equal in number to the number ofvanes 26. Connecting rods 29 are hinged to the ears 28 and have linkconnections'29 with the upper surfaces of the vanes 26. The vanes areraised and lowered, or oscillated on their hinges by the slidingoperation of the rod 27 in the bore 19 of the shaft 19. When the rod 27is raised the vanes are opened through the medium of the connecting rods29, and when the rod 27 is lowered the vanes close, and are heldsubstantially flatby the disk 28 hearing on the central portions of thevanes, as shown in Figs. 6 and J.

In the present embodiment, the raising and lowering of the rod 27 isbrought about by a collar 30 which circumscribes the shaft 19. The saidcollar has an internal annular groove 30 therein which engages pins 31attached to the rod 27 and extending through 1 .slots 19 provided in-theshaft 19. The collar is operated by a lever 32 and a connecting rod 33rigidly attached to the collar .30, as shown in Fig. 6.

The rockable frame carryin the rotary mechanism is provided with s oes34 that bear on segmental rails 35, arranged on both sides. of the body.The center from which theseg'mentsare described is the center of theshaft 12, on which the frame has its rocking hearing. In theconstruction as' illustrated, the frame is operated, or tilted forwardOr back, on its bearing,v by means of cables 36 and 37, which areattached to the frame, and passover suitably arranged pulleys 38, to awinch 39 conveniently located on the body of the ship. It will be seenthat if the propeller 3 becomes inoperative, from any cause, while themotor and other elements are operative, the rotary mechanism, which isnormally operated above the body, may be readily thrown into a positionin front of the disabled propeller, -and be made from said rod to clinedplane, that it provides 'or hovering in the air over any given point, toascend or descend with greater or less speed, and to make a glidingdescent when desired. It will also be seen that the invention providesan air ship which may be readily controlled, and which embodies safetyfactors of great advantage and importance.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A flyingmachine including a frame body having motive means therein, laterallyextending planes attached to said body, a propeller driven by saidmotive means, a rotor mounted above the body, said rotor comprising aseries of vanes hinged on radiatin bearings attached to a verticalshaft, the free edge of each vane being in a direct radial line andoverlapping the hinge portion of the succeeding vane, and the oppositeedge of each vane being offset from the radial hinge outward, saidvertical shaft being driven by the motive means, and means connectedwith the upper faces of the vanes for oscillating said vanes on theirbearings.

2. A flying machine including a body having motive means therein, alongitudinal propeller driven by said motlve means, a

vertical propeller driven by said motive ineans, said vertical propellercomprising a hollow vertical shaft, a series of vanes hinged on radiatinbearings attached to said shaft, a slidab e rod provided in the bore ofthe vertical shaft, connecting means the upper faces of the vanes foroscillating said vanes on their hinge bearings, and means for slidingthe rod in the vertical shaft.

3. A flying machine including a body frame having motive means therein,a longitudinal propeller mounted on the body and driven by the motivemeans, an auxiliary frame mounted on a transverse shaft journaled on thebody, a vertical propeller rotatablein said auxiliary frame, saidvertical propellerqcomprising a tubular axial shaft mounted i hearingson the auxiliary franc, a series of vanes hinged on radiating bearingsattached to the head of said vertical shaft, and extending radiallybeyond the hinged connections. a slidable rod provided in the tubularshaft, connecting means from said rod to the upper faces of the vanesfor raeaeer oscillating said vanes on their bearings,

means for operating said slidable rod, and means for oscillating theauxiliary frame on the transverse shaft.

4:. In a flying machine, a rotor mounted above the body of the machinefor propelling said machine vertically, said rotor comprising a hollowvertical shaft, a series of vanes hinged to the head of said verticalshaft, a vertically sliding member operative in the bore of the shaft, ahead on said sliding member, connecting rods from said head to the upperfaces of the vanes whereby said vanes are oscillated on their bearingsby the operation of the sliding member, means for operating said slidingmember, and motive means for driving said rotor.

5. In a flying machine a rotor mounted above the body of the machine forpropelling said machine vertically, and poising said machine, said rotorcomprising a vertical shaft, a series of vanes hinged on radiatingbearings attached to the head of the shaft, the free edge of each vanebeing in a direct radial line and overlapping the hinge portion of thesucceeding vane, and the opposite edge of each vane being ofi'set fromthe radial hinge outward so as to provide a radial opening between thevanes from the hinge portion to the periphery, means for oscillatingsaid vanes on their hinge bearing s, and means for driving the rotor.

*lln testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in the presence of twowitnesses.

WELLS M. PROTZMAN. ALBERT D. RAY.

- Witnesses:

Wmram 0. Cone, Y W. Smernn.

